In his day, Henry “Box” Brown was a celebrated stage magician who incorporated performance into his lectures on abolitionism in the United States and England. Much of what we know about him comes from his memoir, the Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown, Written by Himself (1851).
magician
Houdini: Illusionist and collector
![Unidentified photographer, [Harry Houdini in chains and ball weights with police], ca. 1900. Gelatin silver print, 14 x 9.5 cm.](https://sites.utexas.edu/ransomcentermagazine/files/2016/09/Houdini2-768x1115.jpg)
This Halloween marks the ninetieth anniversary of the death of the great illusionist Harry Houdini. Born Ehrich Weisz in Budapest in 1874, he got his start as a trapeze artist before turning his attention to magic. He took the name Houdini after the popular French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin. When Houdini… read more